Grain-drier.



J. F. MONAHAN.

GRAIN DRIER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY8.191B.

Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

Swvemtoz 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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C] Hom/1 m 1, F. MONAHAN.

GRAIN DRIER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY B. 1918.

latend Nov. 2G, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JOHN F. MONAHAN, 0F PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

GRAIN-DRIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

Application led May 8, 1918. Serial No. 233,289.

-To all whom it may concern.'

Beit known that I, JOHN F. MONAHAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful `Improvements in Grain-Driers, of which the following is a speciication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to 'driers, and -particularly to mechanism for drying grain or like material.

The general object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of this character comprising a plurality of drier sections, which may be assembled in any desired number, the drier sections being arranged in a compact series, and means being provided whereby the ,grain or likev material may lbe carried through the drier sections successively.

A further object is to provide a cons'truction of this character in which the grain is carried through a series of drying sections, each section being surrounded by a steam jacket, the steam jacket in turn being surrounded by a hot air jacket, and means being provided for removing moist air from the grain as it passes along said drier section.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction of this character wherein the grain is caused to travel along each drier section by-means of a longitudinally extending screw conveyer, the screw conveyer having a hollow shaft. which is heated by steam.

A further object is to provide improved means whereby live steam or exhaust steam may be used for heating the drier sections, and whereby the steam after it has done its work may be withdrawn.

Another lobject is to provide a drier comprising a plurality of longitudinally extending drier sections arranged in vertical series, through whichv the grain is carried successively, the arrangement being such that" while the grain will travel over a relatively long path, the drier sections will take up relatively little room.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein I Figure 1 is a side elevation of a grain drier constructed in accordance with my invention, the drying sections being partly broken away and partly in section;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section of one end of the drier sections.

Referring to these drawings, it will be seen that the drier as illustrated is shown as formed of three drier sections, designated A, B and C respectively. These drier sections are all alike and, therefore, the description of one ydrier section, as for instance the drier section A will apply to all the other drier sections. While I have illustrated three of these sections, it will be understood that more or less of the sections may be used,

Vif desired. Each section comprises a centrally disposed longitudinally extending pipe 10 Iterminating Iat one end in a receiving chamber 11 and at its opposite end in a discharge chamber 12. The receiving chamber has a grain inlet branch 13, While the `discharge chamber 12 is connected to the grain inlet branch 13 of the next adjacent drying section.

Surrounding the pipe 10 and spaced therefrom is a pipe 14 and surrounding the pipe 14 and spaced therefrom is an outer pipe 15. Between the pipe 10 and the pipe 14, a steam spacela is provided in which live or exhaust steam may circulate and 'between the pipe 14 and the pipe 15 is a. space b within which air may circulate, this air being heated by contact with the steam pipe 14. These pipes 10, 14 and 15 may be connected to the chambers 11 and 12 in any suitable manner so as to hold them in spaced relation, and the opposite ends of the sections may be supported .in any desired manner, though I have illustrated for this purpose a rack 16, which rack is formed of a single ypiece of metalbent to form a plurality of sectionem'bracing portions 17 and formed at its lower endv with the feet18, whereby it may be attached to the floor. Two of these racks are shown though more of these racks maybe used. @t course these racks have the same number of embracing portions 17 as there are heating or drying sections.

Passing longitudinally through the pipe 10 of each section and through the chamtio bers ll and l2 is a hollovvv shaft i9 Which carries upon it the screvv conveyer 20 of any suitable character. At one end this hollou7 shaft is supported in a bearing 2l and has l() and lil, l provide a pipe line 23, which is connected by a pipe Q-l to a source of live steam and by a pipe 25 to a source of exhaust steam. Under ordinary circumstances, the pipe Q3 will be a 3 steam pipe, the pipe 2l will be a 2 steam pipe and the pipe carrying the exhaust steam will be a si pipe. A pressure regulating valve 26 may be disposed in the supply pipe :Zei and of course. this pipe is to be provided with the usual controlling valve 27. The exhaust steam supply 'pipe is also provided with the controlling valve 28. Leading from the pipo line are a plurality of branch pipes 29, one for each of the sections. passage through which is controlled by a valve 30. rl`hese branch pipes lead through the space l) and into the space a. Extending from the space a of each of the drying sections is an exhaust pipe 3l, this )i ie communicatin@r with the bottom )ortion of each space a by means of branches and extending to a steam trap 33 of any suitable character, there being a valve 3l in this exhaust pipe line whereby passage through the pipe 3l to the steam trap may be controlled.

For the purpose of feeding steam to the hollovv shaft 19 of the steam conveyor, l provide a branch pipe leading from the pipe line 3 and communicating with one end of each tubular shaft 19. A siviveled or rotative joint 36 is provided at these points so that the shaft 19 may rotate Without breaking its connection ivith the pipe At the opposite end of each shaft 19 there is provided an exhaust pipe 37 also having` a swiveled connection with the several tubular shafts 19, this exhaust pipe 37 communicating with the branch 38 leading into the pipe 3l, the adjacent portions of the hollow shafts being supported in bearings Qll.

For the purpose of forcing warm dry aii into the several drying sections and withdrawing the moist air from the grain as it passes along the several drying sections. l provide the fans 39 and 40. The fan 39 is a suction fan and is connected by the suction pipe all to the several chambers l1. yl'he fan 40 is connected by a suction pipe 43 to the space Z) of each drier section and draws Warm dry air from the space and forces it by pipe 42 into the several chambers i2 and thus through the several drying sections. lhus it will be obvious that moisture will be Withdrawn from the grain as it is dried and a' constant circulation of tvarim dry air will be secured.

rlhe operation of this mechanism Will be understood from the drawing. The grain from any suitable source is discharged into the inlet ipe 13 of the first section of the series, an then is carried along within the pipe l0 by the screw conveyer. While being carried along this pipe, it is heated by the steam surrounding the pipe l0 and also by the steam Within the hollow shaft i9 of the screw conveyor. Jl/'hen the grain reaches the end of the tirst section, it is discharged into the inlet 13 of the next section and is then carried back in a direction reverse to that in which it was first moved until it reaches the end of the second section and is then discharged into this second section carried again in a reverse direction until it is discharged from the third section. Of course it will be obvious that more sections may be used than three. While the grain is passing through the several drying sections, it is not only submitted to tlie heat of the steam, but the vapors given olf by the grain are being constantly removed by the suction fans 39 and Ll() so that by the time the grain has passed through the last sect-ion it is fully dried.

lt will be noted that this grain drier has a forced feed and that the grain has to travel a distance of approximately six feet through a hot steam heated pipe through which hot air is being drawn, the grain .traveling around a hot steam. pipe 19. The conveyor carries the grain along over the vhot shaft While at the same time hot air is blown through the grain and the hot moisture laden air is drawn o No heat is Wasted in this grain drier and fuel is accordingly saved. lf an exhaust steam is used as a heating mediumpthis-steain is exhausted into the open air Where it is used but if live steam is used, the steam is condensed and the Water is returned to the boiler. rlhe construction is easy to erect and being made in units may be of any desired size lt requires only one attendant to'operate this drying plant.

lt will be seen that the apparatus is formed with a plurality of units, each having the same character, these units being such that they may be readily assembled to form a complete machine having any number of units. l

`While l have illustrated the particular arrangementfor steam pipes and air exhaust pipes.. l do not Wish to be limited to this exact arrangement9 as itis obvious that the particular arrangement of pipes Will delll@ pend somewhat upon the plant in which-the apparatus is installed and that, therefore, my drawing with regard to the arrangement of the steam pipes and air withdrawing 5 pipes is very largely merely illustrative.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A ain drier comprising a grain Y pipe section having closed chambers at vits ends, one of the chambers being provided with a grain inlet opening and the' other with a grain outlet opening, a steam pipe surrounding the grain pipe, means for circulating steam in the space between the grain pipe and the steam pipe, .a tubular shaft passing longitudinally therethrough and having thereon a screw conveyer, means for causing the circulation of steam through the hollow shaft, and a hot air pipe surrounding the steam pipe.

2. A grain drier comprising a grain pipe section having closed chambers at its ends, one of the chambers beingprovided with a grain inletopening and the other with a grain outlet opening, a steam pipe surround- Ning the grain pipe, means for circulating steam in the space between the grain pipe and the steam pipe, a tubular shaft passing longitudinally therethrough and having thereon a screw conveyer, means for causing the circulation of heating fiuid through the hollow shaft, a hot air pipe surrounding the steam pipe, and means for causing a circulation of hot air inthe space between between the hot air pipe and the steam pipe. 3. A drying apparatus including a grain drying pipe having an inlet at one end and an outlet at the other, a'heating pipe surrounding the grain drying pipe, a tubular 40 Shaft extending through the grain drying ipe and carrying the screw conveyer, means or rotating the tubular shaft, means for supplying heating fluid to the heating pipe and to the tubular shaft, and means 'for withdrawing heated vapor from opposite ends of the grain drying pipe.

4. A drying apparatus including a grain drying pipe, a surrounding steam pipe, and a surrounding hot air pipe, said grain drying pipe having a grain inlet at one end and an outlet at its opposite end, means for delivering steam to the steam'pipe, means for positively withdrawing hot air and vapors from the interior of the grain pipe Y and means for withdrawing'air from the 55 hot air pipe and forcing the air so withdrawn into the grain pipe.

5. A drier of the character described comprising a plurality of parallel horizontal sections, each section comprising a grain drying pipe, an exterior steam pipe, and an exterior hot air pipe, grain boxes into which the ends of the grain pipes open, one of said boxes having a grain inlet and the' other having a grain outlet, the outlet ofV one box communicating with the inletof the box just below, racks operatively engaging the several sections and holding, them in parallel spaced relation to each other, shafts passing through the several grain pipes, the shafts being hollow and carrying intermeshing gears, screw conveyers mounted on the several shafts, means for supplying steam to the steam pipes of the several sections and to the several shafts, 75'

means for carrying off steam from the steam pipes and the several shafts, a suction fan communicating with the several grain boxes at one end of the drier, and a suction fan communicating with the several boxes at the opposite end of the drier and with the severall hot air pipes.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my vsignature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN F. MONAHAN. Witnesses:

WILLIAM HURSPIEL, JOHN W. DOUGLAS. 

